Day 16 // Footwork

Hi all,

Not  much news to report on JoAnne today, as her procedure has been postponed again. Docs and nurses still want to make sure she has no infection before performing her final abdominal close-up procedure, which seems to makes sense.

ROUNDS- We attended rounds this morning with Dr. Long, who is so great. He immediately grabbed JoAnne's hand and held it steady the entire visit. He asked her to stick her tongue out and she did so, but definitely in a more "JoAnne" way than he had maybe anticipated (or could appreciate). He has a deep, booming voice and kind eyes.

REST- JoAnne's amazing nurse, Bridget, spoke up about how JoAnne needs to be sleeping better, as she hadn't slept at all the night before due to her lowered sedation and fever. Dr. Long prescribed her sleep aids to make sure she's resting up, as this will allow her to heal and prepare for the upcoming procedure. Dr. Long reminded us (and the other docs) that you can't win a battle by fighting it on more than one front, and instructed everyone to make sure JoAnne is resting and sleeping enough so that she'll be able to do well in her upcoming procedure (and heal successfully after). No weaning off sedation or meds at this juncture; there is footwork to be done!

NURSES- I know we rave about all the nurses, but Bridget is so amazing. She's tall, and blonde, and tan, and so on top of it. She really cares about the little things, like making sure JoAnne's lips are sufficiently moisturized, or hearing about what an amazing cook JoAnne is (she's a big foodie herself)... Bridget is also a perfectionist, and has been mainstreaming JoAnne's treatment as best she can, from small things like taping all her wires together to prevent confusion/discomfort to advocating strongly for JoAnne's rest and infection investigations. Bridget personifies the quality of care we've been getting from all of the nurses, as each one pays close attention to JoAnne's needs and makes sure that those needs are met.

NOURISHMENT- Everyone is eating well. Last night, our Aunt Susan brought the most gorgeous meal from herself and her neighbors for us to eat: chicken, turkey meatloaf, couscous, caprese salad, and more. We felt so spoiled! Kelty has been bringing a stunning array of fresh vegetables (tomato, potato, zucchini, squash, onion, pepper, eggplant, leek) from the farm to the ICU almost daily, as we like the idea of sustaining the talent (they're already doing a fantastic job, but fueled by Justin's amazing veggies, what can they not accomplish?!). Alex's mom, Karin, brought us lunch today from a hip new place on NW 23rd (Dick's Kitchen), and we spent a few minutes in the sun eating and catching up. Food! We are so grateful.

SMILES- We've been laughing a lot more lately, thanks to JoAnne's slow but steady improvement and the amazing friends and family who are here for us. We are imagining the future more (not predicting, imagining), and reminiscing about the past, laughing at the madness of the present. Last night when mom/Jani and I went in to see JoAnne, she was rather awake (though still heavily sedated/medicated). Jani leaned in and stroked her head, telling her what an awesome job she was doing with all of this, and that we'd be back in the morning. And she smiled. SHE SMILED!

Much love to you all, and we'll keep you posted on her upcoming procedures.

xo Team Jojo